FLORA OFCUTCH. \Ti 



" Geolooy of Ciitch." " This triict conhiiniii;^; ;iii aieu of iipwards 

 ot" 7.000 square miles, exclusive ut' tlu* space occupied by the 

 r>uniiee, autl the islands of I'achain, Khureer, etc., is |)erliaj)s, 

 tniparallele<l in any known ]);iri of the globe, as it may be 

 siiid to be placed on a level between land and water. It is drv 

 dnrin<T the oreater part of the vear, when its s^urface consists of a 

 sandy flat, totally devoid of veoetation; but, perhaps, on account of its 

 saline nature, always sufficiently moist to prevent its particles being 

 drifted. During tlu^ prevalence of the south-west winds, however, 

 so much water is blown up its eastern inlet by the Gulf of Cutch, 

 and, at its western extremity, by the eastern branch of the Indus, as 

 to cover its whole surface ; augmented by the freshes, which, at the 

 same time, come down the Loonee and Bunass Rivers, and the 

 numerous small streams which intersect the northern coast of Cutch. 

 At those seasons the Rann has all the appearance of a sea, and is 

 passable only on camels, and in some seasons, with difficulty." At 

 wide intervals we find small patches of coarse rush-like grass, elevated 

 a couple of feet above the general level. They seem to have been 

 flat banks formed by wave action or preserved by vegetation. To 

 the south-west of Pacham Island almost parallel to the main land 

 sti-etches a low lying tract, called the Banni. It rises a little higher 

 than the remainder of the Rann and is about 65 miles lono- and from 

 ten to sixteen broad. ]n some places, especially near water, it is 

 thickly, but for the most part scantily covered with coarse grass. 

 The Babul {Acacia arahica) is the only tree that breaks the 

 monotony of the country. It does not reach the height it attains on 

 the mainland, is usually isolated and rarely found gregarious. Of 

 other plants we noticed only Solanum .vanthoearpwn and some species 

 of Crotalaria and ZT^/w^ro/^wm, growing exclusivelynear the bee-hive- 

 shaped grass huts of the herdsmen. 



There is no definite boundary between the Banni and the Rann. 

 South of Pacham Island the Rann can only be recognized by a 

 narrow belt devoid of trees. Pacham Island itself is situated in the 

 centre of the Rann, sti-etching about IT) miles from north to south 

 and 10 from east to west. It is crossed by two somewhat east and 

 westerly chains of hills: the one to the north is called the Kala 

 Doongur (Black hill) and the one to the south Gora Doongur 

 (White hill). In the former we find the most lofty elevation of 



